Newhouse Requests Central Washington Input on Community Project Funding, Announces Advisory Board

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) announced his office is currently accepting eligible Community Project Funding requests that will improve the lives of Central Washingtonians and support the economic prosperity of Washington state.

The Committee on Appropriations recently announced that it will be accepting Community Project Funding requests from Members of Congress, designed to help deliver additional, targeted federal funding to select projects in districts across the country. Community Project Funding requests can be submitted on his website and must be submitted by Friday, April 16th.

In order to determine which projects best meet the requirements and criteria of Community Project Funding, including community engagement and support, Rep. Newhouse is establishing the Central Washington Community Project Funding Advisory Board. This board is comprised of one representative from each county and tribe in Washington's 4^th Congressional District. The Advisory Board will work in conjunction with Rep. Newhouse's office and the House Appropriations Committee to determine which projects will have the most impact in Washington's 4^th Congressional District.

The board members are as follows:

Adams County: Dan Blankenship, Commissioner – District 1

Benton County: Matt Rasmussen, Deputy Administrator

Douglas County: Jon Wyss, Former USDA-FSA & Orchardist

Franklin County: Matt Mahoney, Public Works Director

Grant County: Cindy Carter, Commissioner – District 3

Okanogan County: Chris Branch, Commissioner – District 1

Walla Walla County: Greg Tompkins, Commissioner – District 3

Yakima County: Ron Anderson, Commissioner – District 3

Colville Tribes: Rodney Cawston, Tribal Leader

Yakama Nation: Delano Saluskin, Tribal Leader

Once the project submission period ends on April 16, the Advisory Board will convene to review the submissions and vote on their recommendations for final submissions before the final deadline of May 7, 2021.

Background:

As the representative for Washington's 4^th Congressional District, Rep. Newhouse will have the opportunity to submit up to ten requests for Community Project Funding. These requests are meant to restore Congress's Article I powers by ensuring that federal funding is directly targeted toward projects that benefit surrounding communities and the district as a whole.

You can find general guidelines for which types of projects are eligible here and below:

• For-profit entities are not eligible for Community Project Funding.
• Each project request must be for fiscal year 2022 funds only and cannot include a request for multi-year funding.
• Requests will be posted online on House.gov websites.
• Must demonstrate good use of taxpayers' dollars.
• State or local governmental entities are encouraged to apply as the primary grantee to oversee the completion of the project.
  • For infrastructure projects, many States have established lists or intended use plans with projects that have already been vetted by governmental officials (e.g. drinking water, wastewater, and highways).
• Requests to direct funding to a non-profit organization must provide evidence that the recipient is a non-profit organization as described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Further, many water projects often partner with non-profit entities to complete projects. Therefore, projects may also be directed to non-profits with an inherently governmental function.

Community engagement and support are crucial in determining which projects are worthy of Federal funding. Only projects with demonstrated community support will be considered. Examples of this include, but are not limited to:

• Letters of support from elected community leaders (e.g. mayors or other officials);
• Press articles highlighting the need for the requested Community Project Funding;
• Support from newspaper editorial boards;
• Projects listed on State intended use plans, community development plans, or other publicly available planning documents; or
• Resolutions passed by city councils or boards.

Rep. Newhouse is accepting requests for Community Funding Projects here. All requests must be submitted by Friday, April 16. At that time, viable submissions will be considered by the Central Washington Community Funding Projects Advisory Board to determine which projects will ultimately be submitted for consideration by the House Committee on Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2022.